Please read the introduction

“The Urban Process Under Capitalism: A Framework for Analysis” by David Harvey, Chapter 4 in The Blackwell City Reader. What does Harvey mean by the urban process under capitalism? How is this Marxist analysis different from a neo-classical analysis derived from Adam Smith and other neo-classical economists such as David Ricardo? How would you compare and contrast this article with the earlier two articles by Engels and Cronon in The Blackwell City Reader? The article, which is one of the more difficult ones in the Reader, is divided into two parts: accumulation of capital and class struggle. Take notes using the model I discussed for the Cronon article. What are the key themes in the first part of the article under the heading of “Accumulation and the Urban Process” with the subheading of “over-accumulation and long ways of investment in the built environment”. Then, what are the key themes in the second part of the article under the heading of “Class Struggle, Accumulation, and the Urban Process under Capitalism”, with the three subheadings: “the moral influence of suburbanization as an antidote to class struggle”; “the doctrine of community improvement and its contradictions”; and “working class resistance in the circulation of capital”. Make sure you read “Introducing Materialities” by Bridge and Watson which introduces Part I. The relevant sections of this Introduction are the “Neo-Classical Approach and Marxist Approaches to the Urban Economy”, as well as the brief summary of the Harvey article. The above is an example of the work you need to do in order to understand an assigned reading, which, in this case, is a difficult one. According to Harvey, cities are not governed by an equilibrium between production and consumption in a free market economy as the neo-classical theory suggests. Instead, cities are centers of capital accumulation dominated by financiers and developers. Their goal is to maximize profits. Capital (profits) is accumulated as it moves through the urban process. Harvey identifies three different circuits as the following: primary production and consumption which involves manufacturing; secondary production which involves the built form such as residential housing stock and office buildings; and tertiary which involves the knowledge economy such as hi-tech. When a crisis occurs in one circuit of accumulation such as de-industrialization of manufacturing, capital can switch to one of the other two circuits. Harvey points out that this accumulation of capital and the maximization of profits by those who control capital in the urban process inevitably result in class inequality (which also include race and gender inequality). It also causes opposition and resistance from what Harvey calls the working class. The second part of his article discusses the contradictions that lead to this resistance and opposition, as well as the efforts of those who control capital to neutralize attacks on the system. Write a 300’word response